Afternoon Drive Host 3pm – 6pm
My story is definitely what I would call a “God Wink” moment.
In May of 1985, I walked across the stage at the Warner Auditorium on the campus of Anderson College to receive a degree in radio and television broadcasting. Women had not made a large appearance in radio and television at that time, but we were getting closer. I prayed hard that I would land a job in a station like WKRP in Cincinnati. I ended up as a Supervisor of a Bankruptcy Department at a local bank in Akron, Ohio, but I guess I was still in Ohio. I spent the next 26 years repossessing cars and foreclosing on homes. I did have the opportunity to speak at several seminars regarding bankruptcy laws, and I formed good friendships with attorneys and judges, but God, this is not WKRP, I said to Him many times! I guess He was saying to me, this job is training you to develop people skills, handle tough decisions and to have PATIENCE.
After my daughter graduated from high school and started college in 2010, I felt the call to go back to school myself, and so I signed up at The Ohio Center for Broadcasting to learn how to use a computer instead of turntables and vinyl disc. Ten months later, I am graduating again, and I am saying that prayer, Lord, please let me find that radio station that I have been looking for. I ended up at Synchrony Financial in North Canton as a collector for JC Penney’s credit cards. I guess I was still in Ohio and a bit closer to the Cincinnati area, but not where I wanted to be. The hardest part of this section of the story is, I was collecting on Sunday mornings, and not able to go to church. I would watch church on Facebook during my break. My pastor’s wife saw me online, and said hello, and that she missed me. I told her that I wished for a job that would make it possible for me to get back into church. She worked for Christian Healthcare Ministries and told me to apply for a job at the Ministry.
October 22, 2018, I started my job in the Records Department at CHM. Each Thursday, the Ministry stops its daily task of serving its members for about an hour, and we have a Chapel service. I had been at CHM for a month, and during a service around Thanksgiving, the leadership announced that they were going to be starting a radio station. Tears started to stream down my face, and I grabbed the hand of my dear friend, and thought, God, it is not Cincinnati, but it is better than Cincinnati…It’s Barberton, Ohio and I am exactly where you want me. I had prayed this prayer for 33 years and almost gave up on seeing a dream come true. Never stop praying…EVER! God has a plan for your life and His timing is PERFECT! Jumping ahead to today…I am now the Afternoon Drive Host for 91.9 Heartfelt Radio from 3-6 pm Monday thru Friday. Serving the Lord, sharing His Word and loving every minute of my time with the listeners. Not only do I get to spend time in the studio, but I get to use my love for people working in the front office of WKJA. So, when you win something on the air, or request Invitation to Listen Cards or our magnets, I am sending those to you with a prayer and a smile.
Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust In the Lord with all of Your heart, lean not on your own understanding, In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path.